LOC14:49
11:49 GMT
LONDON, Jan 4 (KUNA) -- A single inoculation of a vaccine that could give
lifelong protection against all types of flu has produced promising results in
human trials, the BBC reported Friday.
The vaccine, made by the pharmaceutical company Acambis, should protect
against all strains of influenza A, the cause of pandemics, the BBC said.
Currently, winter flu inoculations have to be regularly redesigned because the
flu virus keeps changing. The new vaccine would overcome this and could be
stockpiled in advance of a bird flu outbreak, medical experts said.
Each year winter flu kills around 4,000 people in the UK. Globally, between
500,000 and one million people die each year from influenza. But a pandemic of
the human form of bird flu, which experts believe is inevitable, could kill as
many as 50 million people worldwide.
The US trials show that the inoculation is safe and it works fast to make
the body immune against flu, the BBC added. Nine-out-of-ten of those who had
two doses of the vaccine "ACAM-FLU-A" developed antibodies against the flu
virus. Scientists at Acambis are now working to perfect the formulation before
doing larger human trials.
Dr Michael Watson of Acambis said "As a universal vaccine, ACAM-FLU-A can
potentially overcome many of the drawbacks of existing influenza vaccines."
"It can be manufactured at any time of the year, and could be stockpiled in
advance of a pandemic or potentially used routinely to ensure population
protection against future pandemics," he added. (end)
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KUNA 041449 Jan 08NNNN